Mixing apparatus.



No. 865,365. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907. C. T. DRAKE."

MIXING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1903.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

No. 865,365. PATENTED SEPT. 10,- 1907.

0. T. DRAKE. I

MIXING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l k & Miflm No. 865,865. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

G.T.DRAKE.- A MIXING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FI LBD NOV.13, 1903.

a SHEETS S H'BBT a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER. T. DRAKE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MIXING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented .Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed November 13,1903. Serial No. 180,997.

' of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates generally to mixing machines, and more particularlyto concrete mixers.

It is desirable in mixing concrete and other compound materials todeposit a predetermined quantity of the ingredientsthereofdn the mixerand when such quantity has been sufliciently mixed toldischarge the samefrom the mixer, after which another previously measured quantity ofingredients is mixed. In this manner the number of square yards-of themixed-concrete or other material discharged from the mixer may bereadily computed, the capacity in square yards of the mixer being known.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter referred to in which the desired predetermined quantity of theingredients may be first measured and then "thoroughly mixed after whichthe mixed material may be discharged into a car or other receptacle,thereby rendering it possible to simultaneously measure one ciuantity"of ingredients while a previously measured quantity of ingredients isbeing mixed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mixing apparatus whichwill be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive in cost, andefficient in use.

My invention generally described, consists in a measuring box to receivethe ingredients to be mixed, a mixing chamber located beneath andsupporting the measuring box, rotary mixing blades located Within themixing chamber, the measuring box having a dumping bottom to permit themeasured ingredients passing therefrom into the mixing chamber, and themixing chamber also having a dumping bottom to permit the mixed materialto be discharged therefrom.

My invention will be more fully described herein-' after with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which the same is illustrated asembodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which- Figure l is avertical central sectional view takenon line 11, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 a planview partially broken away; Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view on line33, Fig. l; and Fig. 4 an end elevational view lookihg from the right inFig. 1.

The same reference characters are used to designate the same parts inthe several figures of the drawings.

A and A indicate parallel supporting sills preferably composed ofLbeams.

A and A indicate transverse end sills uniting the side sills, while A,A, indicate vertical posts located beneath the side sills near the endsthereof to support the apparatus.

B, B B and B designate transverse beams supported at their opposite endsupon side sills A and A C designates a mixing chamber provided with adumping bottom composed of downwardly swinging doors 0 and O suitablyhinged to the lower edgesof the side walls of the chamber. v

c, c, designate angle brackets resting at their lower ends upon the sidesills A and A and having vertical portions rigidly secured to the sidewalls of the mixing chamber C, thereby supporting the latter above theside sills.

Rotary shafts F and F extend longitudinally through the mixing chamber 0and are supported at their opposite ends upon bearings f and f mountedupon the transverse beams B, B B and B. The portions of the shafts F andF between the beams 13 and B have fixed thereon meshing gear wheels Gand G The portion of the shaft F lying between the beams B and has fixedthereon a gear wheel G which meshes with a relatively small gear wheel 9fixed upon a short shaft F journaled in bearings f, f, mounted upon thetransverse beams B and B A sprocket wheel h or other power communicatingmeans is loosely mounted upon the shaft F and is adapted to benon-rotatively secured thereto by any suitable form of clutch H. i

The portions of' the shafts F and F extending be tween the end walls ofthe mixing chamber G are provided with mixing blades for thoroughlyintermingling the ingredients which are to be mixed together to form theconcrete or other compound material. The mixing blades are preferablysoinclined as to move the material from the ends'of the chamber 0 towardsthe center thereof. Such'mixing bladesconsistin a series of scoops K, Kand a series of knives k, W. The knives and scoops are non-rotativelysecured to the shafts by any suitable means, such for instance asproviding sockets on the blades having square openings therethroughwhich surround squared portions of the shafts. The blades are staggeredon the respective shafts so that as they pass, between the shafts theywill not interfere with each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The doors C and G at the bottom of the mixing chamber G are preferablycurved to conform to the blades upon the shafts, thereby rendering itpossible for the blades in their rotary movement to reach the materialin all parts of the mixing chamber. Any suitable means may be providedfor closing the doors C and C and for permitting them to fall by gravityto allow the mixed material to pass from the mixing chamber into a car Por other receptacle. Such means are shown as comprising chains (1, d,secured to lugs c c, projecting from theends of the door C and chains41',

close contact with the ends of the walls of the mixing chamber to closethe bottom thereof. A ratchet wheel E is secured to the shaft D whichcooperates with a pawl e to retain the shaft D in any position to whichit may be rotated and thereby prevent the weight of the material fromswinging open the doors C and C Mounted above the mixing chamber is ameasuring -box or hopper L in which the ingredients to be mixed aredeposited. The measuring box is supported upon the cross beams D and Dand retained in position thereon by brackets a and E The bottom of themeasuring box is closed by a series of transverse slats L each of whichis rigidly secured to a rod 1 the ends of vhich are journaled in theside walls of the measuring box near the bottom thereof. Each of theslats L projects further-to, one side of its supporting rod 1 than tothe other side of such rod so that the weight of the material within themeasuring box tends to swing the slats downwardly into position topermit the material in the measuring box to pass between the slats intothe mixing chamber. The ends of the rods l which project through oneside of the measuring box are provided with downwardly extending crankarms '1 which are pivotally united to a strip M one end of which i ofthe nearest rod 1 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The ingredients which areto be mixed to form the concrete or other compound material are placedin the measuring box or hopper L. The slats forming the bottom of themeasuringbox are held in alinement by engaging the hook O with the endof the adjacent rod 1, thereby holding the lever N in such a positionthat the strip M retains the crank arms I in position to aline the slatsand close the bottom of the measuring box. When the measuring box hasbeen filled with the ingredients to be mixed the hook O is disengagedfrom the adjacent rod 1 which permits the weight of the ingredients toswing all the slats l downwardly, thereby discharging the contents ofthe measuring box into the mixing chamber. The lever N is again swungtowards the measuring box and the hook O engaged with the adjacent rod Zso as to again close the bottom of the measuring box preparatory to itsbeing again filled with the ingredients to be mixed. The ingredientsafter being discharged into the mixing chamber from the measuring boxare thoroughly mixed 'by means of the blades upon the rotating shafts F"and F The shafts are rotated by the sprocket chain or other powertransmitting means engaging the sprocket wheel h which rotates the shaftF and it in turn rotates the shaft 1? through the interposed gear wheelsg and G. The rotary motion imparted to the shaft F is transmitted to theshaft F i by means of the meshed gear wheel G and G When the material inthe mixing chamber has been sufficiently mixed the pawl e is disengagedfrom the ratchet wheel E, thereby permitting the shaft D to be rotatedby the weight of the material upon the bottom doors C and C actingthrough the chains d and (F. The mixed material then falls by gravityinto a car or other receptacle P. After the discharge of the materialfrom the mixing chamber the shaft D is rotated by means of the crank dand the chains d and (1 thereby wound thereon so as to lift the doors 0and G into position to close the bottom of the mixing chamber which isthen ready to receive another quantity of ingredients to be mixed fromthe measuring box.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that -I have inventedan improved apparatus for mixing concrete and similar compound materialsby means of which a predetermined quantity of the ingredients may befirst measured and then deposited in the mixing chamber from which thematerial when sufficiently mixed is discharged through the bottom of themixing chamber. By locating the measuring box above the mixing chamberthe capacity of the apparatus is doubled inasmuch as the measuring boxmay be filled with the ingredients simultaneously with the mixing of thepreviously measured quantity uf ingredients. As the capacity of themeasuring box is known it is evident that the amount of the materialmixed in the apparatus may be readily computed by keeping count of thenumber of times the doors in the bottom of the mixing chamber areopened.

While I have described more or less precisely the details ofconstruction. I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto,as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and thesubstitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or renderexpedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with asupporting frame work comprising parallel side sills and transverse endsills, a mixing chamber located between and supported by said sidesills, parallel rotary shafts extending through said mixing chamber,bearings for said shafts mounted upon said transverse sills, radialblades fixed to said rotary shafts, vertical brackets supported uponsaid parallel side sills between which the mixin; chamber is supported,transverse beams supported by said brackets above and at each end ofsaid mixing chamber, a longitudinal shaft extending through and jounnaled in said transverse beams, downwardly swinging doors closing thebottom ofv said mixing chamber. flexible connections connecting saiddoors with the ends of said butt. means for rotating; said shaft to liftsaid doors against the mixing chamber to close the same, a measuring boxsupported by said vertical brackets above said mixing chamber, a dumpingbottom for closing said measuring box, a lever or opening and closingsaid dumping bottom pivored at its lower end to one of said transversesills.

in testimony whereof I sign this specification in the, presence of two\Yitne CHESTER 'l, DRAKE.

Witnesses Gno. L. Winxnxsox. C. C. Cum'rxoimu.

